Three Steps Short
by Bouillabaseisasoup
Summary: There exists a certain Captain who couldn't find himself until he met a certain girl who was just as lost as he was until she found him. Denial, however, ain't just a river in Egypt, and it will take a few steps on both their parts. EnglehornOC.
1. Chapter 1

**I do realize there are already a few stories about stowaways on the Venture, but this story is not set during the movie, but before the actual events of it. I also realize this chapter is a bit short, but it's really just an introductory chapter and to see what all of you think. Give me some advice if you please. With a bit of your help, I can make this original enough for your tastes. Thanks very much!**

Jacinda crouched low and stumbled into the cleanest cage she could find as the ship lurched into motion. She dragged her bag in behind her and threw herself onto the floor, against the wall, exhaustion making her muscles tremble in relief, as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against a stack of hay that sat next to her. A moment later, she rubbed her eyes, willing herself to stay awake in case someone should find her there below deck. Stowing away uninvited on any ship was a definite no-no, especially for a woman of her age, class, and looks. Especially when alone on a ship full of at least twenty lonely sailors who all unfortunately happened to be men.

As the ship began a steady route, Jacinda became drowsy with warmth. In an effort to keep awake she tried to rub the aches from the muscles in her legs, but her arms grew too tired too quickly, and she slumped against the wall again. As she held her stuffed bag against her chest, sleep inevitably took over her, and her eyes closed drowsily, though her brain told them not to.

Hours later, Jacinda awoke to realize through a crack in the hull of the ship that it was dusk already. To her it felt as if it must be sunrise a day after she'd stowed away, but her inner clock knew better. It was then that she realized a loud thumping sound had been what had awoken her. She sat up straight, as quietly as she could, knowing that it was still too soon for them to discover her. It was, she thought, the most inopportune moment. She heard footsteps descending the ladder she'd flew down earlier in the day, then heard them approach the end of the hull where she lay in one of the cages. To her ultimate relief, the steps stopped not too far away, and she heard what must have been a young man clear his throat before someone sat heavily against one of the cages.

For what seemed like an hour, Jacinda sat there, trying not to move a muscle, afraid she would alert the man of her presence. She was not ready to deal with the consequences of her actions that she was beginning to regret only because she was getting stiff by just sitting there. Another emergency was rapidly approaching, as she realized her bladder was not planning on holding up much longer either. All she could hear from outside of her cage was the pages of a book being turned slowly every few minutes. The man cleared his throat a couple of times but made hardly any other movements and said nothing, even to himself.

Finally, Jacinda heard another few thumps from above before more footsteps began to descend the ladder. Her hearing, sharp by now, picked up the sounds of a book being shut and the man standing up.

"Jimmy," she heard a deep voice say slowly, as two sets of footsteps approached the avid reader.

"Crow's nest." The young man said in reply, and she could nearly hear a smile in his voice. "Got it, Mr. Hayes. See you in a bit. Captain." He said the last word as if in acknowledgement. Jacinda heard him retreat up the ladder as the other two men began to converse.

"Mr. Hayes, go make sure Andrew's setting a course for the Cape." She heard what must have been the voice of the third man. His voice was unique from the others, though, and captured her in a way the others did not. There was an accent to his voice that would have been almost sweetly melodic were it not for the ruggedness at the edges. He must be the captain, she thought. Just his tone demanded obedience. He had the commanding voice necessary to lead. "And find Davis. Make sure he's plotting the course and planning for any difficulties." He finished with an air of finality.

"Yes, Captain." The deep voice replied before the man began to retreat to the ladder also. The footsteps paused for a moment. "Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?"

"I'll be up in a little," the captain said dismissively, and Jacinda could almost picture him, whatever he must look like, waving his hand just as dismissively as his tone.

The footsteps of what must have been Mr. Hayes finally retreated up above. Jacinda found herself holding her breath tightly yet again, daring herself not to move a muscle. The captain sounded like the last person on this ship she wanted to deal with. He must definitely be, she thought, a no nonsense type of person. She listened silently to nothing and jumped unwillingly when out of nowhere a match was lit with a scratch, a sound magnified tenfold due to the silence. A few moments later as Jacinda cursed herself in her mind for making noise at all, she could smell the sweet scent of an herb cigarette drifting lazily into her nostrils.

She swallowed and listened as the captain wandered softly around the hull. In bittersweet relief, she finally heard him climb the ladder again and heard the thud of the trapdoor being closed. She breathed out in her relief. In desperate need of a stretch, she pushed her bag aside and stood to her feet. She stretched her legs out in front of her for a few seconds before raising her arms above her head, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. She held her position for a bit. When she opened her eyes, she let out a yelp of surprise to find herself staring into a pair of the most piercing, ice blue eyes she had ever seen.

**Now Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Terribly sorry it's taken me quite this long to update… Thank you very much for the reviews, and I do encourage the rest of my potential/possible readers to review as well. It would be greatly appreciated. This chapter is dedicated to Hurley's Belial and phangirl for encouraging me where I otherwise should not be…**

Captain Englehorn watched in slight incredulity as the woman staggered against the grimy wall behind her. He narrowed his eyes as they took in her frightened ones. He crossed his arms and watched her in silence until she began to squirm. He raised an eyebrow as he waited for her to say something, at least in her defense. He might even settle for an apology before throwing her off at the next dock. It seemed like minutes had passed, but it had really only been moments before she spoke.

"I have to use the restroom, if you don't mind." She said in a polite tone that held in it a silent dare.

The audacity, he thought. "I do." He replied softly but dangerously. "Mind."

She pursed her lips in thought for a second. Her gray eyes nearly twinkled as she replied. "What are we to do now?" She said, equally softly, yet with femininity he was not used to.

"You," he said, "are going to tell me what you're doing on my ship."

Jacinda studied her unwilling host as he glared at her, waiting for an answer. She couldn't help but let her body respond to his gaze in a way she was sure he did not mean her to. Her stomach seemed to flip at his tone and sizzling glare. And her skin and blood tingled deliciously at the rippling of his muscles beneath his clothes. Surprised at herself, she realized that no man had made her feel just this aware of herself for the longest time. She wondered if it was in his eyes that she could figure out the answer to this puzzle. She finally willed herself to look at his eyes once more.

"Look...Captain...can't we talk about this after you kindly let me relieve myself? Otherwise in a few minutes, I'll be too embarrassed to speak." She raised an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Your insolence," he said in an accent that made her heart flutter, "astounds me." He paused before looking her in the eye without trying to smirk. "Follow me."

She did as she was told, taking her heavy bag with her. "I'm Jacinda," she said as they ascended the ladder. She resisted the temptation to watch him climb from below. She struggled slightly with her bag as she climbed, annoyed with him when he did not offer to help at the top.

"And I honestly do not care," he said in reply, making her huff in annoyance as she followed him out onto the deck and into a maze of corridors. She barely got time to look at the ocean or breathe in its scent before she followed him into the cabin area of the ship. She ignored the curious stares of other sailors, only eager to get to a restroom.

"You're the captain." She said, as she tried to keep up with his long strides.

"Do you usually have such a knack for stating the obvious?" he asked her, trying not to feel amused.

She began to reply when she stopped suddenly, causing her to bump into him from behind.

"Sorry," she muttered, placing her hands on his back to brace herself backwards. He raised any eyebrow at her touch before gesturing to the door on his left. "Thanks," she said before slipping in. When she was finished, she realized just how brash she had been with him and realized that if he really wanted to, he could just throw her off. _I need to stop making him hate me more than he already does_, she thought. She took a deep, shaky breath before stepping into the corridors again. She was surprised to find the hallways empty.

"Well, that's stupid of him." she said out loud to herself. "For all he knows, I could be some petty thief here to steal-."

He rounded the corner slowly, suddenly, a cigarette rolling between his lips. "Damnit," she said to herself, closing her eyes. When she opened them, he was closer to her than he'd been before in the cage. She swallowed her words, as his eyes caused her heart to beat out of place. Finally, she said in a soft voice. "I'm sorry. I'm nervous. You made me...you're making me nervous..you make me nervous." She finally finished stammering.

Something flickered in his eyes, as he leaned into her a little closer, making her feel lightheaded. "Do I intimidate you, Ms. Jacinda?" He asked, his accent strengthened by the slight grit of his teeth due to the cigarette between them. She nodded, unable to speak, her breathing put off by his closeness. The truth was she was unused to being this close to any man let alone one she'd just met.

"And what is it exactly that bothers you?" he asked, his face inches from hers.

She couldn't explain that‚ she found him handsome beyond handsome. And that his neatly chiseled face was making her knees go weak. That if she had any experience at all, she might take his face in her hands and bring his lips to hers. She merely shook her head, still unable to speak. He tilted his head at her before stepping back, allowing her to breath. He took her bag from her and turned to make her follow him again.

"There is a small room you may use for the duration of your stay on board, which is to be until we dock next." He said coldly. "You will work for what you get. That is if the men do not completely oppose that idea‚ It is still considered bad luck to have a woman on board, though I am not usually superstitious. Your attitude, however, lends an uncomfortable air to the situation."

Jacinda felt her cheeks redden slightly. The captain finally stopped at a grungy looking door that he opened into a room that did not turn out to be as bad as Jacinda feared it might be. She followed him into the small room to find a small bunk, a cracked dresser, a small window, and a cracked mirror. She watched as he set her bag on the bed. He turned to face her, and the small size of the room again lent to the tension she had felt below, as she‚ unwillingly studied his nearly perfect rugged face.

He interrupted the silence. "Again, I must ask you what the hell you are doing on my ship." He said softly, but she still flinched. She hardly considered that a question but decided not to mention it. This time.

"If you must know, Captain," she told him, looking him straight in the eye, no longer afraid to be truthful, "I am a coward. I run away when I feel I can no longer deal with a situation." She stood in one place, but her breathing was shallow. He watched her with hard eyes, his gaze instinctively following the rise and fall of her chest. He studied her dark hair which‚ now fell over her face unruly like. Her face was pale and white, her lips the lightest shade of pink.

He began to notice the tension in the room and finally stepped towards the door. "Captain Englehorn." He told her softly before stalking out of the room, leaving her to collapse on to the bed, her thoughts going at a million miles per hour.

**Now I've done my part…it's your turn to do yours: Review!**


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